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Soundtrack (Season 1)
Note: This page contains spoilers for the currently released episodes of Life is Strange. The Life is Strange Soundtrack is a compilation of licenced tracks for Life is Strange which appear in addition to the original score by Jonathan Morali. There are official lists available on Spotify and YouTube, provided by Dontnod Entertainment. Trailers * Reveal Trailer - Syd Matters - Obstacles * Launch Trailer - Nik Ammar - Glass Walls * E3 2015 Trailer - Syd Matters - To All of You * Episode 2: Out of Time Launch Trailer - Andy Huckvale - On My Side, Dan Gautreau & Wolfgang Black - Hold on Hope * Episode 3: Chaos Theory Launch Trailer - George Timothy - Seeker of the Sight * Episode 4: Dark Room Launch Trailer - TNR - Aftermath * Episode 4: Dark Room Teaser Trailer - Breton - Got Well Soon * Episode 5: Polarized Launch Trailer - Darren and Stephen Lovegood - Power to Progress Acoustic and Ambient Tracks * Menu Theme * Pause Menu * Credits Episode One - "Chrysalis" *Syd Matters - To All of You (Blackwell corridor, when Max heads to the bathroom after class) *Angus & Julia Stone - Santa Monica Dream (Chloe's bedroom, when Max turns on the MP3) *Sparklehorse – Piano Fire (Chloe's bedroom, she changes the music and starts dancing) *Syd Matters - Obstacles (The Lighthouse Cliff, where Max has another vision of the tornado) Episode Two - "Out of Time" * Alt-J - Something Good (Max wakes up in her room the day after Episode One'')'' * José González - Crosses (Max takes the bus to the Two Whales Diner, where Chloe's mom works) * Local Natives - Mt. Washington (Max and Warren are together on the campus and the eclipse occurs, ending scene) Episode Three - "Chaos Theory" * Bright Eyes - Lua (Chloe's bedroom, she and Max wake up after breaking into Blackwell last night) * Mogwai - Kids Will Be Skeletons (Max rushes to Chloe's house after discovering herself in an alternate reality) Episode Four - "Dark Room" * Amanda Palmer & Brian Viglione – In My Mind (Max manages to go back to the original timeline and awakes in Chloe's room) * Message to Bears - Mountains (Max and Chloe drive to the Junkyard after seeing Rachel's portfolio in the Dark Room'')'' The following songs appear during the 'End of the World' Vortex Club Party in the Blackwell Swimming Pool. * Breton - Got Well Soon * Darren Leigh - Bamalam * Jason Pedder - Make The Call * Jason Pedder - Hot in There * Darren Leigh, Purkiss - NRG Flex * William - All Eyes on Me * Jason Legget - All Wrong * William Davies, Edward Nutbrown, Charles Nutbrown, Ian Tunstall - Check 'em Out * Jason Pedder - Bang Tidy * Kes Loy - Byte Me Episode Five - "Polarized" * Mud Flow - The Sense Of Me (Max drives away from the Dark Room and hears Nathan's voicemail, only shortly before his death) * Syd Matters - Obstacles (Sacrifice Arcadia Bay ending, Chloe and Max leave Arcadia Bay's ruins behind) * Foals - Spanish Sahara (Sacrifice Chloe ending, Chloe's funeral) Analysis For more information on the analysation of music in Life is Strange, watch this intriguing video.Credit to the Geek Remix YouTube channel, with guest Rated S for this helpful and intriguing analysis. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BCfsZOUbcxU Episode One - "Chrysalis" Syd Matters - To All Of You - This song plays at the beginning of the game on an indefinite loop. It romanticises the American lifestyle, and highlights the role of the "American Girl". Although the game is not terribly patriotic, it focuses heavily on the girls in the game's society, linking well with this song. The song criticizes female characterization in popular culture and media; Life is Strange contradicts this hugely, considering the multi-faceted female characters who have individual aspirations and images.The song refers to the girls as "plastic dollies", with "wide shiny eyes and plastic bodies". The song highlights that from the beginning, the game centeres around the lives of the girls; fitting considering the case of Rachel Amber and the drugging of other girls at Blackwell. Angus & Julia Stone - Santa Monica Dream - This song is about moving on after a dreadful separation. It represents Chloe and her relationship with Rachel Amber. It plays directly after Chloe and Max's talk about Rachel's disappearance. As it plays, she asks Max to leave her to think; obviously about her relationship with Rachel. The song's lyrics highlight that the two girls cannot reunite, and it also reflects on how Chloe perhaps doesn't want to know about Rachel's illicit activities behind her back.Referring to Rachel's secret relationship with Frank, the lines "you're making love now to the lady down the road/ No I don't want to know" are applicable. From as soon as episode one, the game's music foreshadows information which is made available to us later. Syd Matters - Obstacles - This song debuts during the beginning of the blizzard at the end of episode one concluding Max and Chloe's reunion in that episode. It creates a very melancholic atmosphere, and cleverly sets the scene for the rest of the game. It makes reference to the blizzard around Max, and the ongoing challenges she will face afterwards."Someday we will foresee obstacles, through the blizzard." The song conveys the message that the worriless days of life are over and that something bigger begins to take shape. On the other hand, in contrast to the previous aspect, it expresses the will to use that time that's left in front of those challenges, the will to "live together" with Chloe right now."Today we will sell our uniform. Live together, live together." It also makes reference to the past of Max and Chloe, and their childhood together, signifying that this time, their carefree lifetime together, has long passed"We played hide and seek in waterfalls, when we were younger", and that they've gone trough a lot of changes since then."We've been migratory animals living under changing weather." Episode 2 - "Out of Time" Alt-J – Something Good - Introducing Episode 2, Matador imagery spreads itself throughout this song, referencing the matador losing the fight against the bull. This is particularly interesting considering that Chloe's shirt in this episode is a bull skull. José Gonzales – Crosses - This song is associated with the conversation Kate has with Max. The title and song make references to the Christian religion, particularly relevant to Kate and her religious beliefs. It also makes good reference to her depression due to the burden she has to bear"Crosses all over, heavy on your shoulders. The sirens inside you waiting to step forward. Disturbing silence darkens your sight.", the mobbing she has to deal with"People staring, they know you've been broken. Repeatedly reminded by the looks on their faces." and her following suicide attempt, but also the support she receives afterwards in one way or another."Don't you know that I'll be around to guide you through your weakest moments to leave them behind you. We'll cast some light and you'll be alright for now." Mt. Washington '''– '''Local Natives - (Max and Warren are together on the campus and the eclipse occurs, ending scene) Episode 3 - "Chaos Theory" Bright Eyes – ' Lua' - (Chloe's bedroom, she and Max wake up after breaking into Blackwell last night) Mogwai – ' Kids Will Be Skeletons' - (Max rushes to Chloe's house after discovering herself in an alternative reality) Episode 4 - "Dark Room" Amanda Palmer & Brian Viglione – In My Mind - This song appears after Max manages to go back to the original timeline and finds herself in Chloe's room. It's about dreaming of the future and planning how it should proceed but ending up being dissatisfied with the actual outcome those plans would have, and finally being content with what's the here and now. The song refers immediately to the exact time span of 5 years Max had to pass."In my mind, in a future five years from now.""And in my mind, I imagine so many things. Things that aren't really happening. And when they put me in the ground, I'll start pounding the lid, saying I haven't finished yet." Message to Bears – Mountains - This song sets in as Max and Chloe drive to the Junkyard after discovering Rachel's portfolio in the Dark Room."And we could run away before the light of day. You know we always could. The mountains say, the mountains say." Episode 5 - "Polarized" Syd Matters – Obstacles - This song appears again in the Sacrifice Arcadia Bay ending of Episode 5 where Max and Chloe leave Arcadia behind and later revisit its ruins, after it already accompanied the ending of Episode 1, which creates a frame from their first reunion to their final reunion, probably forever, and marks this scene as a new beginning. Foals – Spanish Sahara - This song appears in the Sacrifice Chloe ending of Episode 5 after Max rewinds back in time through the Butterfly photo, and eventually finds herself on the way to Chloe's funeral. Initially, it creates a strong feeling of emptiness and that way supports the long desperate moment in the face of having to let Chloe die, and then developes more and more dynamic throughout the scene. The Spanish Sahara is an imaginary desolate place that's quite nightmarish and ravaged, and so depicts the emotional emptiness Max feels after all her experiences and especially the loss of Chloe. Its lyrics immediately refer to the devasting moment of realization Max finds herself in, after all the effort she put into saving everybody and all the hardships she had to go through for that purpose which now doesn't mean anything anymore."Now the waves, they drag you down, carry you to broken ground." The whole song conveys the process of getting over a trauma that you remember over and over"Spanish Sahara, the place that you'd wanna leave the horror here, forget the horror here, forget the horror here, leave it all down here", like that Max is confronted with after everything that she went through the last 5 days (including all the death, suffering and loss she had to experience). But the trauma doesn't go away and it multiplies from one into a bunch of furies at the end."Choir of furies in your head, choir of furies in your bed" It also refers to the moment Max actually realizes Chloe's dead body in the coffin in front of her."Now I see you lying there, like a lie-low losing air." The song is also primarily about the persistence of trying to forget someone, in this case Chloe, but it's hard, and even when it seems to succeed, there are always fragments of memory haunting inside."I'm the fury in your head, I'm the fury in your bed, I'm the ghost in the back of your head, 'cause I am." Playlists Here are some OST-playlists created by users and the official Life Is Strange-Team with all official songs. * Spotify playlist * Deezer playlist * Tidal playlist * Microsoft Groove playlist * YouTube playlist * https://soundcloud.com/maru-ichi/sets/life-is-strange-soundtrack References Category:Behind The Scenes Category:Music Category:Life Is Strange